The present invention relates in general to container closures and closure assemblies that include a nestable and extendable spout and a threaded closing cap. More specifically, the present invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the threaded closing cap and the lifting (bail) handles that are integrally molded as part of the threaded closing cap. Further, an arcuate band is fabricated as an integral portion of the closing cap that is threadedly assembled to the nestable and extendable spout.
In order to manually lift the spout from a nested position to an extended position, the handles of the closing cap are grasped by the user. As such, the construction and arrangement of the lifting (bail) handles and their relationship to the remainder of the closing cap becomes important. Due to the hinged and pivoting construction and arrangement of the pair of lifting handles, as disclosed herein, these handles are described as “bail handles”.
Container closures and closure assemblies of the type generally described herein often include some tamper-evident feature incorporating a plurality of frangible elements. One such product has been offered by Rieke Corporation of Auburn, Ind., under its FLEXSPOUT® trademark. This product includes a tamper-evident cap and a closure body with a nestable and extendable spout. The tamper-evident cap threads onto the threaded end of the spout and the cap must be removed in order to gain access to the contents of the container (drum) via the interior of the spout. In one arrangement, the closure body is received by a raised surrounding (annular) wall that defines the container opening and when used on a metal drum end, the closure includes an annular retaining (ring) member (i.e., retainer) that fits over an outer wall portion of the closure body and, by crimping the metal ring, secures the outer wall portion to the surrounding wall that defines the container opening.
In other arrangements that are suitable for the closure assembly of the present invention, different styles of containers and openings are used. Some closure assembly constructions further include a series of frangible elements that connect a pair of bail handles that are used to extend the spout along with the remainder of the cap. When a plastic drum or container receives a FLEXSPOUT® closure, the tamper-evident cap includes an outer annular portion that snaps over an outer wall portion of the closure body and secures the outer wall portion to the surrounding wall that defines the container opening. A series of frangible elements connects the outer annular portion of the tamper-evident cap with the remainder of the cap body, principally with a pair of bail handles that are used to lift and extend the spout.
Whether the bail handles are interconnected with the remainder of the closing cap by frangible elements or are freely hinged, the shape and positioning of the bail handles is a relevant factor in the overall design. There is a desire to construct and arrange the bail handles so that they can be readily located and easily gasped by the user. Selective shaping or contouring of the bail handles, as well as the overall sizing of the bail handles according to the present disclosure provides ergonomic and functional advantages, as described herein.
Another aspect of the present disclosure pertains to an alternative tamper-evident structure that cooperates with the bail handles. Over the years, as others have tried to imitate the Rieke FLEXSPOUT® closure, the market has provided more choices to consumers, but at a cost. Some of the flexible closing spout imitations do not provide design reliability and predictability. The result is the possibility for some of the tamper-evident frangible elements to be broken at the time of the capping operation. Once customers learn that the frangible elements can be broken without a tampering attempt, these customers begin to pay less attention to the status of the closure. This in turn runs the risk of compromising the efficacy of using frangible elements, at least in the minds of the end user consumers. In other instances with the imitation closures, the frangible elements are hard to see and difficult to determine if one or more of these frangible elements are actually broken.
According to the present disclosure, there is provided a tamper-evident portion, shaped as an arcuate band, that begins in a tucked and generally concealed orientation by being deflected downwardly in between the closing cap and an outer portion of the spout, and up against an inner surface of the metal retainer. This tamper-evident band is then deployed at the time of initial opening so that a majority of the band including its upper surface are visible and this in turn provides a way to alert the end user, for example, of any tampering attempt. This tamper-evident band replaces the use of any frangible elements as the only means of determining whether or not a tampering attempt has been made. Further, there is no risk that the capping operation could ever deploy the tucked in tamper-evident band. As a result, the end user can rely on the closure status as an absolute guarantee for alerting the end user of any tampering attempt. Any attempt by an unauthorized individual to raise the bail handles of the closing cap in order to either remove the closing cap and/or extend the spout will pull the tamper-evident band (portion) out of its tucked and generally concealed initial orientation and this tamper-evident band will be visible to the end user, putting that end user on notice that some tampering attempt may have been made. This tamper-evident band, in combination with the contoured bail handles, creates a unique construction for a threaded closing cap.
Due to the tucked position of the tamper-evident band as it is initially assembled, and the importance of deploying the band, the ease of use of the bail handles takes on added importance. It is important to enhance the grasping or gripping of the handles due to the added resistance added by the tamper-evident band(s).